A Collection of Frozen Shorts
by Tabbygal
Summary: This is a collection of different oneshots and first chapters for stories I'm considering writing. There's quite a bit of Helsa in here, but I explore a lot of different ideas in here.
1. The Second Ice Queen

**A/N: So this is a story I had an idea for when I watched The Huntsman; Winter War. What if Anna had the same ice powers inside of her, just waiting to come out? It's just a one shot and pretty dark, but I really enjoyed writing it.**

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Her fingers were past hurting. She was past feeling anything. There was only cold and numbness and unending white. White as far as she could see, swirling around her in beautiful, deadly patterns.

Elsa had a gift. A tragic, destructive, dazzling gift that was slowly killing Anna from the inside out. Her very heart hurt, a dull and aching pain worse than anything she had ever felt before. Worse than every time Elsa rejected her, worse than her parents dying, worse than Hans revealing his true colors. Worse than a breaking heart, a frozen heart was pumping ice through her veins.

It seemed foolish to still rely on love now. Even as she stumbled against the wind atop the frozen ford, Anna knew that Kristof couldn't save her. She doubted that true love even existed, at this point. Yet she pushed on anyway, one last flicker of hope refusing to die in her soul, that last little flame of warmth that refused to die just yet. Standing firm against the howling of the wind and the blizzard that tried so desperately to snuff it out.

She was going to live. She was not made to be weak, she was not made for two days of adventure after a lifetime of being trapped in the castle. Even now as it felt like her body was turning to stone against her will, while her mind stubbornly insisted that she wasn't dying.

"Kristoff." She breathed the name, knowing it was the only hope she had. One foolish, childish hope spurred on by desperation and a lifetime of belief. The word floated around, tossed about by the wind and echoing in her ears. The wind that tossed her back and forth, to strong for her to stand firmly against.

But there was no way he could hear her. Not through this terrible blizzard, like a blanket of snow over them. She took a few more faltering steps forward and felt the ice creep up the sides of her face. Her time was dwindling, the icy air not even burning her lungs any longer.

Then just as suddenly as the ice invading her heart, winds drove the snow and ice away, nearly blowing her to her feet. She saw Kristoff first and said his name again, a little louder this time. She stumbled towards him, fresh hope sparking up again. Maybe it wasn't the end just yet. Maybe she still had a chance. He said her name and he was running towards her, closing the distance.

Then there was the faint metallic sound a sword being drawn from its sheathe. It pulled her attention away from Kristoff, across the ice to Hans standing over Elsa. Her sister was crumpled on the ice, like all the life was completely gone out of her. Any of the hope, the fragile light nearly blown out in Anna's own heart, it was gone in Elsa.

Anna shifted her feet as fear struck through her. Elsa was her person. It didn't matter what she had done, it didn't matter what happened, Anna would always fight for Elsa.

But her feet weren't moving. They twisted up together and weighed down like they were glued to the ice. She wasn't going to make it to Elsa's side in time.

The sword rang again and crimson spilled across the ice. A cry tore from Anna's throat and she crumpled to the ground, feeling her frozen heart shatter. The ice was already beginning to crack and diminish and draw into Elsa's lifeless body, but the cold in Anna's body wasn't receding at all. In fact it seemed to be growing, intensifying.

Her life flashed before her. Her parents faces before they left, Elsa's closed door. Hans breaking her heart, Elsa's severed head with blank eyes staring back at Anna. Her hands dug into the ice below her as cold burst through her veins and the ice that had just covered her fingers and face cracked off to gleaming white skin.

A cry of agony and rage ripped out of her and ice erupted inside of her. This time though, it felt like life rather than death coursing through her. Raw power that was hers to control. Was this how Elsa had felt, fingertips tingling with unused power and life? The ice that had been shattering and withdrawing hardened again. Anna drew slowly to her feet, letting her silky white hair fall behind her. She screamed once more, this one full of power and bitter cold. Her sister was dead and she had nothing left. Love had done nothing but hurt her. Love was weakness.

Anna's head snapped to Hans next, who recoiled in horror at the sight of her. "You." She hissed, stalking after him. He tried to run, but it was too late. One stomp of her foot and icicles rose up below him, impaling him at least fifteen feet in the air, more crimson blood pooling below and mixing with Elsa's.

"Anna?" It was Kristoff, taking a cautious step forward with one hand out. He looked afraid, and she couldn't describe how good it felt to see fear in someone's eyes looking at her. She was never the one that was feared or respected. She was the spare princess.

Now she was the queen. The snow queen, with the same power Elsa had running through her blood.

"Run while you still can." She spat at Kristoff, feeling she had no immediate quarrel with him. He paused only a moment before he turned and raced across the ice in the opposite direction of her. She watched him catch Sven and the two of them disappeared across the fjord. Above in the castle people were betwixt themselves, apparently trying to decide whether or not they should be cheering.

Anna strode for it, suddenly understanding Elsa's need for a change in wardrobe. Hers felt hot and confining and despicably _soft_. She let ice burn away her current dress, forming a new one around her even as the old fell away. But she didn't pick out anything light, black ice surrounded her. Black like the nothingness she felt inside. Black as the night, black as the winter that was about to come. The little flame of hope and life that had flickered for so long was finally gone, leaving nothing but darkness.

Yes, this winter was just beginning.


	2. The Whole Thing Will be Fixed

Something was wrong. He didn't feel right inside. There was a steady burning in his heart, insisting that his body wasn't working the way that it was supposed to. He blinked and grimaced, trying to dismiss the feeling. It wasn't the time for any phantom feelings that were likely all in his head. It definitely wasn't the time for the ideas popping into his head that didn't sound anything like him. Ones that involved spilling blood, dark paths that he would never consider. He didn't know why they were in his head, but it was like something outside of him was putting them there.

"Prince Hans, are you alright?" The concerned voice of a commoner cut through his thoughts, and Hans focused on the woman in front of him. He nodded and convinced a smile to his mouth.

"Fine, miss. Do you have enough blankets?" He returned, concern clear in his eyes. She laid a hand on his arm and nodded kindly.

"Oh yes, we're all doing quite well, thanks to you. You're a good man." She assured him, and the next smile on his lips didn't have to be forced. It seemed wrong to find pleasure in the midst of a catastrophe, but there was something comforting in feeling as though he was leading well. It was almost enough to distract him from his worry over whether or not Anna would make it back whole.

"Prince Hans, you must come quickly! The Princess has returned!" A shout pulled his attention away from the woman he was talking to, spinning to see several servants rushing towards him. He expected a jolt of relief to know she was alright, but there was nothing but a numb feeling around his heart. The burning had ceased, now it was just nothing. Like he couldn't even feel his heart beating. But he pushed himself into motion regardless.

"Take me to her." He ordered, finding himself getting shuffled down the icy halls, worried mutters all around him. His own mouth pressed into a thin, worried line as he walked with long, purposeful strides. Right now his focus needed to be Anna, not whatever was going on with his heart. He pushed into the library, but only the other dignitaries awaited him, forlorn looks on all their faces. His numb heart felt just enough to sink at the sight.

"She's not here." He stated simply.

"No, Prince Hans. It was a false alarm." The Frenchmen said sadly, shaking his head in despair. Hans' fists clenched at his side, frustration and anger overwhelming him. How long would he be made to sit and do nothing while his fiancee was out gods knew where wandering through a blizzard? He lasted another ten minutes or so, pacing back and forth and trying to think of anything else to do before he couldn't take it anymore. He was losing feeling himself, his heart now beating again, but in erratic spurts. More dark thoughts were playing into his head, and he felt the need to act before they overwhelmed him.

"I'm going back out to look for Princess Anna." He finally announced, striding towards the door. The rest of them followed him, apparently intent on not letting him out of their sight.

"You cannot risk going out there again." One of them insisted, and Hans spun on his heel.

"If anything happens to her-" He was cut off, by a more urgent voice.

"If anything happens to the Princess, you are all Arendelle has left." The Spanish dignitary cut in, actually causing Hans to pause. He knew the man was right. The responsible, adult thing to do was to sit tight in the castle. He knew it. But he didn't want to. He wanted to know that Anna was safe. _You are all Arendelle has left_. Those words sunk a little deeper, taking his stomach along with them. How had he become Arendelle's last hope? He wasn't ready to be a ruler. He was Navy, he had a job back in the Southern Isles. He had never been trained to be a king, he was thirteenth in line. There was no hope of him becoming king. Not until now.

Before he could form a response, the doors behind him reopened. "Prince Hans," Kai's voice broke in, and Hans turned.

"Anna!" He ran forward to catch her, taking her from the arms of several servants. "You're so cold." He said as his arms slipped around her, finding that she was emitting cold from her body. He relief he'd initially felt upon seeing her faded to worry.

"Hans, you have to kiss me." Anna demanded, giving no response to his statement. He felt his eyebrows rise, instinctively leaning back as she pressed in.

"What?" He asked, unsure where the sudden aversion to the woman in his arms was coming from.

"Now," she said, grabbing handfuls of his jacket. "Now." She repeated, tugging at him insistently, trying to pull his head down.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." A nervous chuckle colored his voice with the words, moving back as much as she moved forward. Something was welling up from deep inside, insisting that he get far away from her. The last thing he could do was kiss her. But it was wrong, it was something unnatural inside of him and he didn't know how to fight it.

"We'll give you two some privacy." The elderly maid said, waving everyone out of the room. Hans wanted to shout at them to come back, but the doors shut with a thud and left him and Ana alone. Something he had wanted just a day earlier, but now everything was feeling fuzzy. Her hands slipped around his neck and still pulled, but he didn't budge.

"What happened out there?" He asked, trying to fight his way through the fog that seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"Elsa struck me with her powers." Anna said, something akin to an angry tone in her voice. He felt his own blood run cold at the statement.

"You said she'd never hurt you." He felt a parent chiding a child, not meaning for the tone that came out of his mouth.

"I was wrong," Anna told him, her voice cracking. Then she gave a small cry and crumpled in his arms, and he leaned down to catch her.

"Anna," He swept her up, doing his best to brush aside his own thoughts and carried her to the divan in the center of the room. Leaning over her in concern, he waited for her to continue.

"She froze my heart and only an act of true love can save me." She explained, wide eyes looking up at him. Realization dawned on him, as well as a flicker of hope.

"A true love's kiss." He said for her. That had to be it. And maybe there was some way it could banish the increasing darkness in his mind, threatening to drive him to some extremes. But what was he thinking? True love? He had known her for a day. He cared for her, that was clear. But love, that came only with time. Didn't it?

No. No more doubts, he had to shove away those thoughts. Doing his best to clear his mind, he reached forward and trailed a hand across the side of Anna's face. If there was any chance that they could both be saved by a kiss, far be it from him to refuse. He slipped his fingers down to her chin and tipped it up, leaning in as she shut her eyes. He was almost there, too. Hardly any distance separating them, Hans paused. He drew back a bit.

"Oh Anna," he found himself saying, "if only there was someone out there who loved you." It was like being trapped inside a stranger's body, with no control. He was watching, trying to stop himself, trying to stop the words from coming out of his mouth, but they wouldn't. He was powerless against himself.

"What?" She breathed, confusion marring her face. Hans rocked back then stood, not bothering to respond. He walked to the window on the far side of the room, looking out at the blizzard that still raged on. "You said you did.." Anna's unsure voice sounded behind him and he wanted to turn around and correct himself. Instead he just drew the curtain shut.

"As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn't stand a chance, I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere." The lies fell like poison off his lips, as he started to remove one of his gloves, wondering what demon had taken control of his body.

"What-what are you talking about?" Anna asked, voice shaking with the cold as she huddled on the divan still. Hans licked his fingers and put out the candle beside her, only a brief burn on his thumb before he pulled away. His mind was in a panic, but his body had never felt so calm. Like this was the way it was supposed to be. These were his darkest thoughts coming to surface, fanned much bigger by something else slipping into his head.

"As heir, Elsa was preferable of course, but no one was getting anywhere with her." He turned back to finally look at her again. "But you,"

"Hans," She tried to butt in, but he just kept going.

"You were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me just like that." He turned back away, taking the pitcher of water setting beside the fire. There was no denying, he had wondered at her immediate acceptance of his proposal. But not like this. This wasn't him. "I figured after we'd married, I'd have to stage a little accident for Elsa." He continued, starting to pour the water over the fire. Smoke billowed up and Anna reached out for him.

"Hans," She said again, slipping off the divan and falling in a heap on the floor. "No, stop."

"But then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her." The pitcher was spent, and he was running out of energy to fight the power controlling him. He set the pitcher back down, a chuckle escaping.

"Please," Anna begged.

Hans looked down at her. "All that's left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer." He explained, approaching her, standing right by her head. She struggled, trying and failing to pushed herself off the floor as shivers wracked her body.

"You're no match for Elsa." She said in what he assumed she thought was an intimidating tone. Where the sane part of him still clung to consciousness, he hoped she was right. The rest of him though, knelt down and took her chin in his hand once more.

"No, you're no match for Elsa." He told her in an almost disgusted tone. He dropped her chin. "I, on the other hand, am the hero who is going to save Arendelle from destruction." He slipped his glove back on with his speech, straightening up again. The cold was winning. He couldn't fight it.

"You won't get away with this." Anna spat at him, even as he strode to the door. Hans opened it, pausing only once to look back.

"Oh, I already have." He feared that statement was far too true.

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 **A/N: So this clip was based off of a fan theory I saw a long time ago. If Hans really was the person we saw in the beginning of the film, but was cursed. If you pay attention in the song Fixer Upper, the trolls talk about getting the fiancee out of the way, and the theory is that they put some kind of curse on him to turn him against Anna. I'm considering writing this whole fic at some point, and have a lot of ideas for it that involve a lot of Elsa and Kristoff being frustrated because they have to deal with two spazzy idiots running around the castle getting over-excited at the littlest things, but we'll see if I ever get to it. Let me know what you think! (It would still be a Helsa story because I'm incorrigible).**


	3. The Shipwrecked

**A/N: Okay so this is the story everyone voted on for me to write next. obviously that sort of went out the window, since I've started posting my werewolf!au and am working on my psychic!au, but hopefully I'll get to this one. Now it was between this and the last thing I posted here, so I might sort of redo the poll on here for what you guys would prefer to see more? It was oddly really hard to write this one and I'm not sure why. But let me know what you think!**

 **Edit - Apologies for the error, guys! I don't know how that got mixed up, but thank you for pointing it out. All the formatting should be fine now.**

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Try as she might, she couldn't say what had put the idea in her head to visit the surrounding farms in Arendelle. It had been a difficult year, she knew, and she tried to consider herself a fair ruler. She wanted to assure herself that nobody was going hungry, all was well despite the lean year. Farming was difficult enough in their poor soil, a year without much rain could leave people hungry and wanting.

That being said, she couldn't deny that it was a relief to be out of the castle. The place had become oppressive in the last few years. Anna refused to pick a suitor, still claiming that Elsa had ruined her on love after chasing off Kristoff. And as no man would consider even touching a woman that could freeze his heart with a flick of her wrist, Elsa had few prospects to choose from, leaving Arendelle without heirs or any light in the future. The country was prosperous, for the time being. Yet there was no telling what the future would hold.

Escape, though she would never quite put it that way, was a welcome relief. She had a feeling Anna felt the same, since her sister hadn't even bothered to bid her goodbye when she left the castle early that morning. Unfortunately, the easiness of their relationship after the thaw had faded quickly. Now it was full of tense silences and occasional yelling matches that sent the staff scurrying to the furthest parts of the castle, away from the flurries of snow that surrounded Elsa in such fits.

She loathed such a wedge being between her and Anna. It was worse than the door that had separated them for so many years, but she could think of no way to destroy it. Only to stay away as much as she could and pray to the gods that she might be granted wisdom in the situation. Some way to finds words, to be a sister and a queen at the same time.

Yet such thoughts had to be banished as her carriage rolled to a slow stop, and the door was opened by one of her soldiers. Elsa accepted his hand with her glove-clad one and stepped out. The farmhouse didn't look much different from any of the others, built into a triangle shape and made with thick planks of wood, thatched together with a mixture of mud and straw. She felt as though she ought to pity them for the bitterly cold winters and the wind that had to whistle through the cracks, but she knew little of what it meant to be cold.

As her feet touched the cracked dirt, a middle aged woman came bustling out the from door of the farmhouse, wiping her hands on her apron and casting worried glances about.

"Queen Elsa." She said respectfully, bowing low and fussing with her hair.

"You may rise." Elsa said, ever uncomfortable with such displays. She rubbed her gloved hands together, willing herself to put off some cold to offset the heat of the summer. The woman stood up straight again, eyes darting about in a nervous manner still.

"If I had known you'd be coming to our little home, I would have fixed the place up, made something special for you. I just put some bread in the oven, but it won't be done for some time now." She explained, still refusing to meet Elsa's eyes. It was typical, yet it felt as though there was something off about the woman. She was not the same sort of nervous most of the others had been. Elsa tried to brush it off as a silly, heat-induced notion, offering a small smile.

"That will be fine. If I could just trouble you for a cup of water, that's all I need in this heat." She said softly. The woman curtsied once, then beckoned them inside, picking things up here and there and straightening things. To Elsa, she felt little more than an intruder, despite how she knew it was a common practice.

Moments later, a cup of water was held out to her in a clay mug. She took a sip of it, but the gritty taste did little to quench her thirst and she found herself merely holding it in her lap.

"I hope I didn't come at a poor time. I've been stopping by many of the outlying farms to see if anything is needed, after such a difficult summer. I want to know that my people are doing well." Elsa told her, hoping to put the woman at ease. But she just grabbed the girl of about eleven in the kitchen by the arm and whispered something in her ear. The child nodded solemnly, then took off through the front door.

"I sent her off to fetch the rest of the family. John's just outside and my husband is out in the fields. Inger's somewhere about here, and I just sent off Ferdi." She said, her hands moving restlessly as she picked up and moved different items through the kitchen. She was over explaining, and Elsa didn't understand what was making her so nervous. "But we're doing just fine. Course the farm didn't do so well, what with the lack of rain this year, but we pulled through. We always do." Her voice had taken on a harder edge, making Elsa stiffen.

"Well I do hope if anything is needed, you'll tell us. I know the royals have been rather distant in the past, but in these last five years, I've tried to be more involved. I won't have any of my people left wanting if I can stop it." She said, hoping to smooth things over more. The woman hardly relaxed.

"As you can see, our farm is just fine. I wouldn't want to hold you up, I'm sure you've many more farms you must see to before the day is out. I'll send one of my boy's to town if we need anything." She assured. As if on cue, the door opened and Elsa twisted to see a slim boy of about twenty slipping in. Odd to be thinking of him as a boy, but she felt far older that she really was.

"This here is John, he's my second oldest son. The eldest is...out." She said, her head immediately going down with the word. John regarded her with the same wary look as his mother, walking to her side and merely watching. It made Elsa feel increasingly uncomfortable, until she made the decision that it would be best to just leave. She would send a few provisions in hopes of repairing whatever ill-word must have been spoken about her. Yet as she opened her mouth to announce her intentions, a shout came from outside.

"No, Barend!" A girl's voice yelled. "You can't go inside, please." Elsa turned to look at the door, then back at the two in the kitchen who had paled several shades. She stood, ready to demand an explanation. Then the door opened. First in came the same little girl from earlier, and second in came an all too familiar face.

He was taller, his shoulders much wider and with the same weathered look the other farmers had. But that didn't disguise him. His hair alone was red enough that she could never forget it, and his eyes were unmistakable. She stared in shock, dimly hearing the first woman introducing him as her oldest son. _Barend_. He said nothing himself, only meeting her eyes with a calm sort of look that he'd never had before.

She sat back down, her legs not fit to hold her anymore. The clay mug slipped from her fingers, shattering on the floor. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought she ought to apologize or offer to buy a new one, but she was too distracted. Speechless, staring at the man that had caused so much trouble and was never supposed to bother anyone again.

"Y-you're supposed to be dead." She stammered out, her hands still shaking. He gave the first hint of a reaction, smiling ruefully at her.

"I've never been much for meeting expectations, Queen Elsa." He told her, his voice sounding different as well. It was deeper. But it still held too many memories for her to handle, too much pain for her think around. She swallowed and desperately tried to clear her mind. He stepped forward and she leaned back.

"John pulled me from the shipwreck five years ago. None of them know who I am. Leave them be and I'll come peacefully." He urged, the same tone she recognized from before. It sent her head reeling, fighting against the past to stay in the present.

"Daft child!" The woman who called herself his mother swatted him in the arm. "We all knew perfectly well who you were, Prince Hans. Just chose not to bother with it because you're a hard worker and a good man. I'll hardly have a Queen that hasn't ever done a day's hard work coming into my house and taking my son away." She turned on Elsa, marching up to her and wagging a finger in her face. "You've no right!"

Elsa drew further back, feeling a cold wind blow about her. She had to fight it. Conceal the storm in her bones. Don't feel the rising panic at her old enemy. The face of her countless nightmares. This woman would dare defend him?

Hans followed her up, taking her by the shoulders and moving her away. "Not now, Ma." He told her softly. It was all kinds of disturbing, seeing Hans handle someone gently, hearing him call anyone _Ma_. It had to be an act. He had charmed them all.

"Your Majesty?" One of her guards stepped forward, looking at her with concern. "Shall I arrest him?" He asked. Elsa struggled for a moment to find words. Yes, Hans. Arrested. Locked away where he couldn't hurt anybody anymore.

"Y-yes." She stuttered.

"Wait!" Hans insisted, his hands out. The guard paused and Elsa tensed, ready for him to try something. He just gave a pleading look. "Allow me to say goodbye to my family, first." The request came almost as unexpectedly as his presence had. Elsa glanced around once at the dirty house and the people that inhabited it. They weren't really his family. He was, by all rights, still a prince. It had to be an act to garner sympathy, but she raised her hand to the guard anyway.

"Be quick." She said, finding her voice once more and pleased with how steadily it came out. She was curious to see how this act played out. He turned first to the woman, reaching down and taking her hands.

"You don't have to go." She insisted. Elsa thought she spotted a smile on his face at the words, as he shook his head at her.

"Greetje. Ma. I won't run from this." He told her, kissing her once on the forehead before turning away. Before he could take a step, the little girl had wrapped herself around him, crying into his waist.

"Please don't leave, Barend. I don't care what you did, don't leave us." She wept, her words thick and muffled through his shirt. It tugged on Elsa's heartstrings, but she reminded herself of what this man was. He leaned down to hug the girl properly, whispering something in her ear that Elsa couldn't make out. She only started to cry harder, though she did release Hans and let him slip away. He went to the young man in the corner next, grasping his hand before pulling him into a short hug.

"You're a good man, John. Take care of the family." He said, moving away. Elsa could have sworn she saw him clenching his jaw as though he were fighting off tears, and she pressed her lips together. Such an act put on, for who? For the family that apparently believed him good, or for her? Was he foolish enough to think he could lessen his sentence by drawing out sentimentality in her? She wasn't the naive queen she had been the first time they had met and she wouldn't be fooled so easily.

A child came from behind Greetje's skirts, one that Elsa hadn't even noticed. It was a toddler, barely old enough to walk and wearing a simple little dress that had obviously been passed down from each child. Hans swept her up, holding the child up to his face.

"Bar!" She shrieked, chubby fingers reaching out and grabbing at his hair. He kissed her on the cheek and smiled, really smiled, for the first time. Elsa's breath caught in her throat. He was entirely different man when he smiled like that, hardly any traces of the man in her nightmares. A foolish speculation, but she couldn't remove the picture from her head even once the smile faded and he set the child back down. He nodded at his 'mother' and the guard took him by his arm.

"W-we should return to the c-castle." The quiver was back in her voice and she cursed herself for it. She could feel the hateful looks trained on her, for taking a part of their family away. It was a struggle not to feel guilty over it. She forced herself to hold her head high and head for the exit, pausing only to let the unoccupied guard pull the door open for her.

"Thank you for your hospitality." She said, striding outside.


	4. Don't worry, I'm a doctor

**A/N: So this fic was kind of inspired by a few things. If any of you have every played 'The Wolf Among Us' it's kind of the sort of world I was picturing, but without the fables backstory. So basically a darker, modern twist on old fables where none of them are in good positions. Anna, though she really doesn't appear in here, is really inspired by Detective Shannon from 'The Heat', if anyone's seen that (probably not but you should watch it). It's really probably just going to be a oneshot, though at some point I might follow it up with a oneshot of Kristoff and Anna in the same world. We'll see what happens. I hope you enjoy it, I really loved writing it and exploring such a different Hans!**

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Hans fiddled with the lock, doing his best to appear inconspicuous. He'd already gotten three of the deadbolts, but the last one was proving tricky, and he didn't want to chance anybody passing by and catching him. God-forbid, telling Anna that he'd been breaking into her and Elsa's flat. _Not breaking in, just...visiting_. He told himself. Breaking in would imply he wanted to steal something from them, or vandalize their apartment. He had no such intentions for his forced entrance. But he knew that she wouldn't feel that way, and he didn't particularly feel like being held at knife/gun/grenade-point again if he could avoid it.

The pins finally clicked and he felt the lock slide back, a breath of relief sliding past his lips. Any self respecting man would never learn the art of lock-picking just so he could break into the apartment of two young girls, but he unfortunately acknowledged the fact that his self respect had gone missing a long time earlier. Now he did what he had to feel okay with himself. To prove to himself that there was some humanity left in the world, or something of the sort.

Slipping inside, Hans shut the door after him and locked the deadbolts once more. He considered himself a sturdy man, but the complex they were in was far from savory. The neighborhood they were in was far from savory. He couldn't help himself from snooping around a little. The fridge, that was full of guns. Not surprising considering Anna. She might be a cop, but that didn't make her trusting. And it didn't make her entirely legal, considering he was pretty sure half of the stuff in there wasn't supposed to be owned outside a military base.

Hans shut the fridge with a shake of his head and moved along to the cupboards. There was some food in those, at least. Mainly Ramen, some questionable looking loaves of bread and one wheel of cheese that had an unidentified mass of green growing on the side. He shut those as well, hardly resisting the urge to set aside his bag and go to work cleaning up the dump. But he didn't have that much time, and it would only be back to the same state in a few weeks time. Anna was obviously out of her league when it came to caring for herself or her sister.

He might've been able to do more. If he hadn't tried so hard, lost sight of the big picture. A fake date just to get into the apartment had only managed to result in a permanent ban. But with some work and charm, he'd gotten ahold of her work schedule and found time to slip into her apartment, hopefully leaving her none the wiser. He passed by a pile of dishes in the sink nearly as tall as him and moved through the living room. It wasn't much better, take-out containers scattered about in a morbid, heart attack-inducing graveyard of cardboard containers.

He did his best not to touch anything, and paused to pull on a pair of gloves and a dust mask before knocking on the door on the far wall. He heard a soft cough from the other side, and the sound of someone shifting.

"Anna?" A feminine voice called. "Is that you? I thought you just went to work an hour ago." There was a fit of coughing, and Hans waited for it to finish before he spoke.

"No, it's Hans. Hans West? We've spoken briefly twice before, I brought some medicines for you. May I come in?" He was all but pressing his ear to the door waiting for a reply, tensing with each painful second that passed. She was silent too long.

"You can enter." She finally said. Hans exhaled, realizing he'd been holding his breath. He pushed open the door, slipping inside and shutting the door after him. It seemed as though the rest of the apartment could ooze inside and get the mess everywhere, the excess of germs. Inside was a striking contrast to the rest of the apartment, though. Everything was starkly clean, hardly anything in the room but a bed, a desk and a bookcase full to the brim with books.

In the bed was possibly one of the most stunning women he'd ever laid eyes on. He remembered the first time he'd seen her, at a park. Standing under a tree and looking up as though she was in awe of the world. As though she'd never even seen it before. Then she'd collapsed and he was one of the first to rush to her aid, though Anna had quickly gotten in the middle of them. It was after that he'd learned she was sick, too sick to leave her flat most days. Anna was her sole caretaker, and didn't believe in hospitals.

Being a doctor himself, he couldn't stand the thought of her wasting away because her sister didn't believe in something. He'd been blinded and stupid, and gotten close to Anna in order to sneak in and see Elsa. But that plan had backfired on him, and now the redhead had it out for him. He'd gotten five speeding tickets in the past two months. Traffic citations for things that nobody even knew about. And yet he still hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

Lying in her bed, she looked more frail than ever. She was slightly propped up on some snowy white pillows, a baby blue comforter spread over her and making her eyes look that much more colorful. She managed a soft smile at his entrance, but even that looked tired and weak.

"Anna won't be happy that you came." She told him, her voice hoarse and sounding like a chorus of angels. He returned the smile and sauntered up to the side of her bed, stealing the chair from her desk to sit down in.

"You let me worry about your spitfire little sister. All you need to worry about is feeling better." He coached gently. She started to reply, but more coughs came instead and he leaned over her with worry. "Let me prop you up more, that should make it easier to breathe." He urged, slipping an arm under her back. He could feel her ribs through her nightgown and it made him want to shout curses that would make a sailor blush. Instead he just lifted and moved her pillows, pulling her up as much as he dared so she would be sitting up more. Leaning back again, he thought he caught a faint blush on her pail cheeks.

"Thank you, Hans." She whispered. Good heavens, his name from her lips made his knees feel weak. He nodded, transfixed for a moment by the halo of white hair spread out on the pillow behind her. But he shook himself back to reality and pulled his bag into his lap. Opening it up, he started pulling out several bottles.

"You need to hide these from Anna. I'll give you a list of what to take and when, and it should make you feel better. Stronger. You'll be back on your feet. Your condition can't fully be cured, but I'll see to it that you can at least get out. Breathe fresh air." He told her, pushing the items at her. She reached out, pulling them into her lap and her cold hands brushed his for just a moment.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked him, blue eyes unsure and questioning. It made him think that not many people had done much for her in her lifetime. It saddened him, to see that look in her eye. Against his better judgment, he reached out to take one of her hands.

"I'm a doctor. It's what I do." He told her. She smiled again, this one fading more quickly than the last.

"Anna's not all bad, you know. She's just afraid, and trying to do the right thing." Elsa told him, and from the way she was looking at him he got the feeling she needed him to believe her. So he nodded.

"I know. But it's not what's best for you, and you deserve a chance to be healthy. Doctors, medicines, they can help you. _I_ can help you." He told her, finding himself gripping her hand tighter until she grimaced and he released it. Afraid of hurting her on accident. She was too frail, like a leaf hanging onto a tree in the middle of winter that might fly away at any moment.

"Why do you care so much?" She questioned, pulling her hand back to herself. Han put his head down. What could he say? That he was in love with her when he'd hardly had a full conversation with her? That it drove him mad to think of her more or less locked away, kept from what could truly help her? That she consumed his thoughts in a way that nobody else ever had? She would think he was mad.

"I don't know." He admitted. "I just don't like the idea of you hurting." It seemed a strange thing to say to a stranger, but she didn't feel like a stranger at all. It felt as though he'd known her a hundred years. He felt comfortable with her, but on edge at the same time.

"You're a good man." She said, and he felt one of her chilly hands reach over to rest on his arm. He rested one of his over it and looked up enough to smile a her. Those words meant everything coming from her.

"I should go. You ought to rest." The words dragged reluctantly from his mouth, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. She tightened her hand around her arm, and though her hand was cold, it sent warmth all throughout him.

"Please stay. I get so lonely." She requested, and his heart nearly broke. He didn't care if Anna did come home and he spent ten years in jail. He'd spend as much time as Elsa wanted by her side. He set his bag on the floor beside him and took the things he'd given her, slipping them in drawer of her nightstand.

"Of course. What would you like to talk about?" Hans asked her, settling in he wooden chair once more. Her eyes flicked off behind him.

"Would you read to me? Anna doesn't have the patience and I get such a headache from reading too much. I don't want to bother you, but just for a short while would make a difference in my day." Elsa explained, chest rising and falling more with the apparent exertion. Hans nodded easily.

"Of course. What book would you like?" He turned in the chair look behind him at the bookcase that stretched all the way up to the ceiling.

"The Little White Bird. It's the fourth row down, right in the middle."

He stood long enough to find and take the book from the shelf before sitting again and facing her. He hadn't read the book before, but it was obvious she had read it a great many times from the way the pages were worn and tearstained and well-loved. He opened up to the first chapter and began.

He was four chapters in when he looked up again. The soft sighs from Elsa had stopped, replaced by a steady breathing. She was asleep. He set the book aside and rose to his feet once more. Unfortunately he did need to leave. Not stare at her sleeping until Anna came home. He tugged the dust mask down long enough to lean over her and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Goodnight my Snow Queen." He whispered, taking his bag and disappearing out the door once again.


	5. Rosaline

**A/N: I'm really not sure where the idea for this one shot came from, but I wrote it quite a while ago and it's always been one of my favorites. I don't think I'll ever write the whole story to go along with it, but it's possible I'll get bored one day and go for it. Anyway, tell me what you think!**

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When she approached his cell, only silence greeted her. It was dark and she could just barely make out his form, the slumped shoulders in the darkest part of the tiny room. Lars gave a short bow and muttered his leave before turning and exiting. Even the guards left the room and it made her wonder about the entire situation. There were bars, but it was still surely somewhat unsafe to leave her with a prisoner.

"Who's come to visit me this time?" Hans' voice was different, bitter. Yet behind that thin line of anger, a wall of sadness hit her, practically radiating from the cell. She saw his head turn up, green eyes glinting in the faint flicker of the torch behind her.

"What do _you_ want?" She imagined there was supposed to be venom in the words. But they fell flat and lifeless.

"I came to hear your side of the story. Apparently there is one." Elsa pursed her lips, doing her best to tamp down anything she might be feeling. _Conceal, don't feel._ That was an important mantra when talking to Hans. He stood slowly, and she could see his clothes hanging off of his now thin frame, his haggard face coming into view. And his eyes, they were dull. Like a man who had given up hope. It took him some time to shuffle up to the bars, hands reaching up to hang limply from the metal while his eyes only met her for brief second, then dropped to the stone floors.

"It doesn't matter now. What's done is done." He was panting, chest rising and falling as though he'd just run all the way from Arendelle. Then with a cough, it went back to silence and she worried for a moment that he had stopped breathing entirely.

"They'll hang you, if you don't defend yourself." She pointed out incredulously. It could all be an act. An elaborate plan to secure her pardon. Yet even she, with all her lack of experience, could see that he wasn't faking anything. He swallowed roughly and shook his head.

"Good." His hands fell away, the effort of merely standing clearly weighing on him. She started to notice smaller things. Bruises on his face, old cuts and scars on his arms, the bags under his eyes. He didn't resemble the man she'd met at her coronation in the least. Not in his looks and not in the way he was acting. Feeling a bit more bold, Elsa tool a step forward.

"How can you not try to clear your name? You were selfish enough to kill to gain a kingdom, but you don't want to live? I find that hard to believe." She told him coldly, surprised at how well it all came out, how confident she sounded. And her words seemed to bring

Hans to life, him slamming against the bars once more, green eyes spitting fire and face full of rage and fury.

"I deserve to die!" He cried out, shaking at the bars. "For all I've been through, for all I've done, this is my fate! I didn't ask anyone to seek pardon for me." He looked like a caged animal, his hands shaking as he pressed against the bars. Elsa had taken a step back without even realizing it, a hand risen to her chest in shock at the sudden outburst. He looked at her and for the first time actually seemed to see her. His features softened, the kind of heartbreaking sadness in his eyes that artists always long to capture.

"Please just let me die." He whispered. She realized she could see tears gathering in his eyes and he didn't manage to wipe them away before they slipped down his cheeks. He didn't even seemed to notice. She struggled against any feelings of pity.

"Lars said there was a woman." Elsa finally gathered the courage to speak again. Hans appeared to travel to a different place, a haunted look in his eye.

"Rosaline." The name fell off his lips in a soft breath, an obviously treasured name. She couldn't help but feel it was something special just to hear it aloud from him. She stayed silent, hoping he would continue, that she would finally learn the truth behind his motives. He leaned against the wall to his left, then slowly sank to the floor, his eyes fixed on some indiscernible spot opposite him.

"She was just a servant." He admitted after a long moment of unbroken silence. "Not suitable for a prince, not even a spare one. But we were going to run away together anyway." Finally, he reached up to wipe his face. It wasn't much use, since she could see the tears kept coming. "Then they found her. Locked her up. Made me do..unspeakable acts with the promise of getting her back." His shoulders sagged as a ragged breath escaped him. "But I failed. So they killed her." It was spoken with so much more ease than the rest, like he was entirely cold to the fact. Like he hadn't quite accepted it yet, he was still in shock.

Elsa felt the air around her chill at the admission. It seemed as though he had been misjudged, in many ways. It in no way dismissed his actions, but it put them into a very different perspective and sobered her. She found her hatred lessening, just a little, to see him in such a pitiful state. Of course she'd never known heartbreak such as his, so she couldn't truly relate. But guilt, she knew that like an old friend.

"It seems we've judged you too hastily." She spoke again, though she wasn't sure what else to do. Setting him free hardly seemed right either, considering there was no erasing what he had done. The way he was in her nightmares and Anna's. He turned away from her, then laid on his side on the cold stone floor.

"Please. Just leave me alone to die."

She turned quietly and left the dungeon.


	6. Pride and Prejudice

**So I do still exist, but I've been taking a break from writing for a while. However, I just watched Pride and Prejudice and I got a stroke of inspiration that I couldn't tamp down. This oneshot is meant to be a sort of letter from Hans that mirrors Mr. Darcy's letter to Elizabeth. I took some liberties with the story, but for the most part I consider it cannon to the movies, with a lot of unseen things going on in the background. It should explain everything, but feel free to ask questions and I might revise if anything is too confusing. Anyway, I did steal a few things directly from his letter in the book; I do not own Pride and Prejudice or Frozen. I hope everyone enjoys this slightly different take on Helsa ~**

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"Be not alarmed, My Dearest Queen, upon receiving this letter or fear what it might contain. I have no intentions of restating my most ardent affections that were so repulsive to you during my own coronation at the Southern Isles. I do not wish to pain you with such repetition, nor humble myself by bringing up that which cannot be forgotten soon enough by either party. My effort in writing such a letter might have been spared, had my character not demanded your perusal of it, yet I find myself demanding your attention. You must forgive my forthrightness and continued attention, it is only out of necessity that I put pen to paper in order to remove said blemishes you laid charge against my character.

It is well known that my actions in Arendelle during your coronation were quite deplorable; and yet the truth was revealed that a terrible curse had taken hold of my mind and drove me to actions that I was not aware of at the time. I feel it is only fair that I do not bother to repeat my defense in those regards, as I have already issued an apology for said events that I had no control over. It was two particular charges, by no means of equal magnitude, which you laid against me I feel the need to address. The first brought to my attention was that, upon discovering Kristoff to be the lost prince of the Southern Isles, and regardless to the sentiments of either, I forcefully removed my newly discovered half-brother from Arendelle and Princess Anna's attendance.

The second, and far more grievous than the first, is in regards to my half-brother Caleb who had since taken the crown of the Southern Isles. The accusation that I, in defiance of birthright, of honor and humanity, willfully destroyed the prosperity of the crown, drove my righteous brother from his throne and took it for myself in order to have a kingdom to rule. To have wantonly thrown off the companion of my youth, a man who was in many ways, like a father to me when my own father fell so short, a young man who gave his life to the preservation of our kingdom and the welfare of our people. While these charges might have befallen me due to my actions nearly two years prior to this when I first visited Arendelle, I must state once more as I have countless times, those were not the actions of my own healthy mind. They were in fact a curse laid upon my by the rather horrible little stone creatures that were intent upon separating me from your sister. Perhaps the only good that came from such a curse was the success they had in their original intentions. However, such actions as you have laid against me would be a depravity to which the separation of two young persons whose affections could be the growth of only a few weeks, could bear no comparison.

In regards to the severity of the blame which was so liberally bestowed upon your visit of my own kingdom, respecting each circumstance, I hold every intention of clearing my name to at least the repulsion which was named against me in your considerable wrath. If, in the explanation which is due to myself, I am in the necessity of relating feelings which you may find contrary to your own, I can only say that I am sorry. It is a rule of etiquette which must be obeyed - though further apology would be absurd.

I had not long learned of Kristoff's true identity before I took notice of his most unwavering attention in your sister. And while we spared such time to spend in your kingdom as you fumbled about learning how to perform your duties as queen most inadequately, I became aware of just how attached he had become to Princess Anna. Yet still, it was not until the night of the Midsummer Ball that I had any apprehension of his feeling a serious attachment - he is not the most talkative of sorts and my other brothers are keen on falling in love only to be bored by the next week. At that ball, where I first met success in gaining a dance with you, I was first made acquainted with the accidental information that Kristoff's attentions towards your sister had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage. Kristoff himself spoke of it as a certain event, one which only needed the time to be decided.

From that moment I observed my brother's behavior attentively; and then I could perceive that his partiality for the Princess was something far more serious than my other brothers had displayed previously. It became clear that it was not a matter of politics - Kristoff is far from the sort to have a head for such things - nor was it a matter of a mere pretty face turning a head. This was something I had not yet experienced in my watchful attendance of my brother's sordid affairs. Your sister I also watched, knowing her well enough. Her look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of lasting regard, a folly I know perhaps too well myself. I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny, that though she received his attentions with pleasure, and to some extent returned them, she held no sentiments that might last over the trials of time.

If indeed you are correct in the truth of her affections, I must have been in an error. Your superior knowledge - to some extent - of your sister make the latter probable. If this is the truth, I have been misled by said error to inflict pain on her and in such, your resentment is not unreasonable. I might add that I did not believe her to be indifferent because I so desired it - I believed it on impartial conviction, as truly as I wished it in reason. And still my concerns in regards to the marriage were not merely what I have already stated. I heard from your own lips at the Midsummer ball you speak on behalf of such a connection to the Southern Isles and the good it would do for Arendelle. The idea that an intimate connection as marriage be formed for such an indifferent reason left me with an overwhelming desire to protect the man that had quickly become not just a brother, but a close confidant of mine.

In truth, it was my actions that ushered Kristoff to the Southern Isles so soon after, and it was my own words which persuaded him to believe that Anna's affections were not nearly so strong as his and she felt little for him. While my newest brother thinks highly of your sister, he has a great sense of natural modesty. To convince him, therefore, that he had deceived himself on the matter of Princess Anna's affections was no great feat. To persuade him against returning to Arendelle, when that conviction had been given, was scarcely the work of a moment. I cannot blame myself for having done thus much. It is done, and it was done for the best. On this subject I have nothing more to say, no other apology to offer. If I have wounded your sister's feelings once more, it was unwittingly done; and though the motives which governed me may to you very naturally appear insufficient, I have not yet learnt to condemn them.

With respect to that other, more weighty accusation, of having removed my own brother from his throne, I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his actions against my country. Of what particular rumors you might have heard, I am ignorant, though my imagination can easily conjure up what you might assume of my intentions. Yet the truth of what I am about to relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity. Allow me to begin, and I beseech you to take heed of my words.

My father took ill close to the time that I came into being. As such, with Caleb being the eldest of us, he was naturally the one to approach the role of fatherhood with those of us that were younger. His hand was often heavy, and he cared little for me as I was the youngest and supposedly cursed with the most unlucky number of thirteen. It was, according to my brothers, because of my existence that my father took ill. It is of my belief that they searched for a cause of their loss, and my presence was an easy target. Make no mistake, I by no means write this letter in order to garner your pity - I have no such need or want. I merely wish to display my brother's own cruelty which was apparent from the time I was a mere child. We were never close, though he may tell another story should you ever hear him speak.

He took the throne when I was still just a child, and to the greatest of my knowledge, he was a just king. I was, after all, a child under his own care with no knowledge of the outside world. As I grew older, I would come to learn that his cruelty extended towards the kingdom as well. I come from a land of wealth, full of rich resources and healthy land which is ripe for a good harvest. How is then, that we have streets lined with beggars and merchants that cannot afford to buy a loaf of bread? My people were heavily taxed - to the extent that they could hardly survive on the plentiful resources of the land around them.

I had originally travelled to Arendelle in hopes of securing your hand in marriage and using that alliance to give my people a better life. As king, even of a different country, I would have more sway than merely the thirteenth prince. Yet you know the events that followed, the plans that took such drastic turns according to my infinitely troublesome curse. I returned home empty handed, yet a different man. Looking upon things in a new light, I took heed to my brother's injustices and eventually brought them to the attentions of the high court and my own brothers. Though it has been a painstaking and long process, it eventually ended when Caleb made an attempt on my life, trying to thwart my plans. It was then that I made the heavy decision of banishment for my brother, and was chosen by my elders to take the throne, much to my surprise. You see as none of them had ever the strength or courage to face my brother and state his wrongdoings, they elected me as the one to take the throne.

My actions have many times had questionable intentions. Yet I must assure you most ardently, that I did this with only concern for The Southern Isles. I take the throne now with a heavy heart, facing many such accusations as your own. This, my dearest Queen Elsa, is a faithful narrative of every event we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false, you will, I hope, acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards my brothers. You may possibly wonder why this was not told to you while you still graced the shores of what is now my kingdom. But I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed. If your abhorrence of me should make my assertions valueless, you cannot be prevented from consulting in the trusted counsel of my brother, Kristoff, whom I send with this letter in hopes of repairing some form of relationship between the Southern Isles and Arendelle.

Furthermore, I do assure you that I shall refrain from disgracing you with my presence ever again. I shall only wish you a long and happy reign, and pray that the gods may bless you and your kingdom.

Faithfully,

King Hans Westergaard, of the Southern Isles."


End file.
